The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Ah Lin, could you please attend to the guests?"

Tang Xixue turned her head and waved to the moon-white figure not far away.

The movements were very casual, yet they carried an indescribable intimacy.

Pei Yanchuan, a young man with a scholarly air, immediately stepped forward.

Tonight he wore a moon-white robe, with a plain silver hairpin in his hair. He looked as gentle and refined as a piece of jade, as if he had stepped out of a painting.

He nodded slightly to Kong Sangyu and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

"Prince Yu, Princess Ling, please."

The voice was clear and melodious, neither humble nor arrogant, yet it possessed the composure of a true homeowner.

Pei Yanchuan looked at Kong Sangyu and remembered the scene of this prince presenting a gift to his prince after the sacrificial ceremony.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Young Master Pei."

Kong Sangyu looked at him, at his matter-of-fact manner standing beside Tang Xixue, and a sudden, indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart.

He remembers.

I remember back in Lintai, there were rumors that Pei Yanchuan was a favorite of Princess Jing.

At that time, he took it as a joke, thinking that the princess with a formerly bad reputation was only good enough for such a down-on-his-luck scholar.

But at this moment, seeing Pei Yanchuan standing here, living in this house, being called "A-Lin" so naturally by her.

He only felt extremely sour.

It was so sour that his eyes felt hot.

He had liked Sister Zhi for so many years.

He didn't even recognize him.

Kong Sangyu lowered her eyes, suppressing the emotions that surged up in that instant.

He remembered the first time he came to Lintai.

He was overjoyed the moment he first saw Tang Xixue.

That figure looked exactly like his sister Zhi.

He was both nervous and happy.

He approached her without warning, wanting to confirm if it was the figure from his memory.

He knew when she got close to him.

I thought it was some kind of surprise.

He pretended not to notice and let her get closer.

As a result, the girl pushed him into the lake from behind.

The icy lake water instantly submerged him.

Because of his childhood experiences, he has a great fear of water.

At that moment, his whole body stiffened, and he couldn't even struggle. He could only helplessly sink to the bottom of the lake.

His joy, little by little, vanished in the cold lake water.

He told himself that this vicious woman could not possibly be his sister Zhi.

Sister Zhi is so gentle and kind, how could she be such a person?

He had always loathed Princess Mirror, who had almost caused him to drown in the lake and then pretended to save him to gain his favor.

But now...

He was surprised to learn that she was indeed his sister, Zhi.

His mind was in turmoil.

Could it be that someone else pushed him at the time?

Did he misunderstand Sister Zhi?

Sister Zhi is such a kind person, she must have truly saved him.

Just like the woman standing in the lamplight now, gently taking in his poor little ones, she is the blurry figure in his memory, now clear.

Kong Sangyu raised her eyes and looked at the snow-white figure.

She was carrying a lamp and walking towards the door.

That silhouette was ethereal and elegant, like a sliver of moonlight about to melt away in the night.

She seemed to dislike him very much.

The moment this thought popped into his mind, Kong Sangyu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He was rejected by his god.

He looked down at the group of kittens happily rubbing against the threshold at his feet, and a complex feeling welled up in his heart.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, they were taken in.

They were protected by the gods.

"This way, you two."

Pei Yanchuan's voice pulled him back from his daze.

He looked up and saw that Pei Yanchuan had already walked ahead and was gesturing for them to follow.

"The front and back courtyards of Mirror Night Snow Lodge are separate. If you two come to take care of these raccoon dogs, you can enter from the courtyard so as not to disturb His Highness."

His tone was calm, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.

But when it reached Kong Sangyu's ear, it felt like a fine needle gently pricking her.

It won't bother you.

He is a guest.

They are outsiders.

It's someone you need to leave undisturbed.

"Okay, we understand. Thank you for reminding us, Young Master Pei."

Kong Sangyu silently followed behind him, passing through a moon gate and arriving at the backyard.

"We've arrived."

Pei Yanchuan spoke, pointing forward.

"You can settle these cats here."

The row of houses stood quietly in the night.

The house was well renovated, the walls were freshly painted, and the doors and windows were replaced.

The room was empty, with no furniture, only bare floors and walls.

The living quarters were rather shabby.

It is very suitable to keep small animals.

It was spacious enough, warm enough, and safe enough for them to get through the cold winter night.

"Wow, bro!"

Kong Sangling cried out in surprise, her bright almond-shaped eyes widening in delight:

"This place is much warmer and more spacious than the previous courtyard!"

She ran into the house, touching and looking around excitedly, like a little bird.

"Ahhh! Princess Mirror is so kind!"

She turned her head and looked at Kong Sangyu, her eyes filled with a bright, sparkling light:

"As expected of the Heavenly Physician! She's so incredibly gentle!"

She paused, then suddenly remembered something and clutched her chest:

"Brother, you actually rejected the Heavenly Physician so heartlessly before..."

Her voice carried a hint of heartbreak:

"She was so close to becoming my sister-in-law."

The words "sister-in-law" were like a knife, piercing Kong Sangyu's heart with pinpoint accuracy.

He stood at the doorway, the moonlight shining in from behind, casting a long, long shadow of him.

Those beautiful, sapphire-like eyes were instantly veiled with a thin layer of mist.

He didn't say anything.

Just looking at the group of kittens running around happily inside the house, and seeing that they finally have a home to settle down in.

he thinks.

It's understandable that she doesn't like him.

After all, although he used to call her Sister Xue, he never truly cared for her.

She discovered his insincerity, which is why she was so cold to him.

"But I came at the wrong time of spring, and when I look back, the east wind has already ruined me."

The moonlight fell silently.

It landed on his slightly trembling eyelashes.

He lowered his eyes.

The shimmering water quietly disappeared into the night.

"The person I most wanted to give my heart to no longer wants it."

As night deepened, the carriage rumbled out of Baiyujing.

The wheels of the carriages rolled over the snow-covered official road, making a soft, rustling sound that was particularly clear in the quiet night.

The lights of the city gate gradually faded into the distance, eventually turning into a faint glimmer behind them before being swallowed by the night.

Tang Xixue leaned against the car wall, holding the lazy little white cat in her arms.

Yin Kong curled up in a ball, making soft snores, her small body swaying gently with the carriage.

Fu Yi sat beside her, silent as a shadow.

Driving outside in the cool evening air, my black clothes blended into the night.

She has been busy ever since she came back.

I haven't been to the Moon-Weaving Garden yet.

Zhiyue Pavilion was built outside the city, far away from those bustling city centers, like a lonely lamp in the dark night, quietly illuminating those homeless children.

The nine continents are vast, with countless countries and cities scattered like stars in the sky, but there are always some corners that are forgotten by the light.

Those orphans waited for a light in that corner.

Some widowed women, those of good character, would be hired to work at the Moon Weaving Pavilion to care for the children.

Tang Xixue has already seen the accounts of Zhiyueting.

The biggest earnings in recent years have all come from Shan Hai.

"Speaking of which..."

A cool voice drifted from outside the carriage curtain, tinged with hesitation:

"Although Shan Hai is one of the three major forces in the dark world, Yu Shou Ting Feng mainly sells information."

"I have retrieved a file on the Mountain and Sea from the Hidden Dragon Division."

"Many of the members of Shan Hai are veterans who retired after the war. Some were wounded in the war and could no longer stay in the military or support themselves..."

Tang Xixue was somewhat surprised to hear this. In wars between nations, the most pitiful are the civilians and soldiers.

"The Lord of Mountains and Seas does not conduct business ethically. However, his actions are quite benevolent."

"That rotten little glutinous rice ball—"

"Neither white nor black."

"It's hard to say whether it's jade hidden in ink or flaws within jade."

The human heart is like the moon, sometimes full and sometimes waning; good and evil are like water, sometimes clear and sometimes turbid.

People often talk about good and evil, but do they know that good and evil share the same origin?

A thought turned towards the light is compassion; a thought turned towards darkness is an abyss.

But who can say that there is no light hidden at the bottom of that abyss?